Cotton cleaner and separator.



'0. R. BENEPIELD. COTTON CLEANER AND SBPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 11:13.27, 1911.

1,01 1,015. 1 Patented 1180.5, 1911.

CI-IA'UNGEY R. BENEFIELD, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

COTTON CLEANER AND SEPARATOR.

Loraine.,

Application led February 27, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lrnown that I, CHAUNCEY R. BENE- FIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cotton Cleaners and Separators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cotton cleaners and separators adapted for application to cotton handling and treating apparatus and inclosures generally.

The cleaner embodies essentially a spiral screen duct having communication at one terminal with a cotton supply duct that may run directly to a wagon or other cotton transporting vehicle or to a storage house or other place of cotton deposit, and at the opposite end has an outlet that may cooperate with a suitable conveyer or with any other means that may be desired, the spiral screen duct having a spiral suction ilue operatively associated therewith and connected to a suitable suction creating means, such as afan, through the medium of a duct.

The primary object of the invention is to secure a maximum of etliciency in cleaning and separating cotton within minimized structural proportions by providing an elongated cotton engaging or washing surface having a large area and operating to throw out and bring all portions of the cotton passing along and against the same under the influence of a suction force to relieve the cotton of all iine particles of leaves and trash as well as dirt and otherforeign substances so that when the cotton is finally delivered from the improved device it will be thoroughly cleaned and in the best possible condition for ginning or other treatment.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a section through a cleaner and separator embodying the features of the invention, parts being shown broken away. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the cleaner and separator partially shown in section. Fig. 3l` is a detail section taken in a plane at right angles to the section shown by Fig. l and illustrating a part of the cleaner and separator. Fig. 4L is a perspective view on a reduced scale of the improved cleaner and separator with portions of its cooperating auxiliaries.

'Ihe numeral 5 designates an inclosure or Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1911i. serial No. 611,119.

casing having a fixed upright or column 6 within the same and extending fully from the` bottom to the top of the center thereof. Closely surrounding the upright or column 6 is a spiral cleaning and separating duct 7 which may embody any preferred number of convolutions and is formed as an entirety of wire gauze screen of a suitable mesh. This spiral duct is of less diameter than the interior diameter of the inclosure or casing 5, and intersecting and passing between the convolutions thereof is an imperforate spiral partition 8 which peripherally engages or connects with the inner side wall of the inclosure or casing 5 and extends fully from the top to the bottom of the latter. An air tight joint is formed between the periphery of the spiral partition 8 and the side wall of the casing 5, and also between the inner edge of the said partition and the upright or column G. Each convolution of the spiral coil or duct 7 is located within a chamber 9 between opposing portions of the spiral partition 8, and as will be understood the said chambers 9 are in full communication with each other. The lower terminal of the lowermostl chamber 9 at the bottom of the inclosure or casing 5 communicates with a laterally delected end 10 of a suction duct ll leading to a fan or other suction creating means of any suitable form and which may be located any distance from the cleaner and separator. The uppermost convolution of the spiral partition 8 forms the top closure for the uppermost convolution of the spiral duct 7 and the next lower convolution of the partition has a portion thereof serving as a closure for a part of the top of the next lower convolution of the spiral duct. The upper extremity of the spiral duct 7 opens into an enlarged inlet 12 that is disposed in alinement with said extremity and located at the top portion of the inclosure or casing 5. Connecting with the inlet which is in the form of a closed box, is a seed cotton conveying flue 13 which may be of any suitable length and terminate adjacent to an unloading place for a wagon or other transporting means and from which the cotton may be directly taken, or extend into a storage house or other place of cotton deposit. The lower extremity of the wire gauze spiral duct merges or continues into an outlet 14 which is inclined downwardly at an angle corresponding to the lower extremity of the final convolution of the spiral duct and communicates through the medium of an opening 15 with the interior of a conveyer box or inclosure 16 in which is mounted a suitable traveling conveyer 17 constructed in the usual manner and operating to transfer the cleaned cotton to a ginning apparatus or other cotton treating mechanism. In some instances, however, the outlet for the spiral duct 7 may directly communicate with a storage house or any other suitable receptacle, the conveyer 17 being shown simply as one practical means of relieving the outlet of the cleaner and separator of the cotton that has passed therethrough.

The outlet 14 as shown has the wall at one side closed and continued inwardly to the upright or column 6 as at 16a, see Fig. 2, the screen of the duct being continued outwardly in opposition to the said closed wall and at a point intermediate the latter and the outer closed wall of the suction duct y11, the said suction duct having an angular elbow 17a extending over the box or inclosure 16 of the conveyer and at which the continu ation of the said screen terminates, as at 18. In other words, the continuation of the one screen side wall of the lower convolution of the spiral duct extends full length of one side of the opening 15 which is formed in the top of the box or inclosure 16 of the conveyer, and the inner closed wall 16a extends along the opposite side of the opening 15 to the elbow 17a of the suction duct 11.

Under the lower portion or bottom of the lower extremity of the spiral duct a guard of an imperforate character is interposed and consists of a horizontal wall 19 of angular contour, as shown by Fig. 2, and to which thebottom of the duct is secured by any suitable means, and a vertical wall 20 of a corresponding angular contour disposed at a tangent to and extending from the upright or column 6. The purpose of this guard is to prevent the collection or aggregation of the dirt or other material removed from the cotton within the angular space that would be otherwise formed under the lower extremity of the spiral duct 7 and which would not be affected by the suction force exerted through the duct 11. Extending longitudinally of the interior of the duct 11 in close proximity to the continuation of the outer screen wall at the lower extremity of the spiral duct is a suction intercepter 21, which in the present instance preferably consists of an angular plate extending from the terminal of the opening 15 adjacent to the inclosure or casing 5 to the inner intersecting wall of the elbow 17a of the duct 11, the said angularl plate being formed with a plurality of openings or apertures 22 which gradually decrease in size toward the outer reduced ext-remity of said plate so as to exert just sufficient suction on the cotton liberated from the duct 7 to bring said cotton to and cause it to drop through the opening 15 onto the conveyer 17 without the least liability of clogging and thereby at all times insure a rapid removal of the cotton as it issues from the cleaner and separator. it will be seen, further, that the guard which comprises the strips 19 and 2O does not in the least obstruct the lower outlet 10 of the chamber 9 adjacent to the cotton outlet, and therefore the dirt, fine trash and other matter is readily liberated and passes into the duct 11 and thence to the fan or other suction creating means. It will also be seen that the screen bottom of the spiral duct 7 is affected in the chambers 9 by the suction as well asl the outer side walls of the convolutions of the spiral duct within said chambers, and hence the removal of the dust, dirt, ne trash or other matter from the cotton is more effective and a greater screen or cot-ton washing surface than heretofore commonly employed is provided.

The inclosure or casing 5 is air tight at all points and the suction exerted therethrough will be directed with full force to all parts of the convolutions of the spiral duct 7 between the convolutions of the spiral partition 8, and the dust, dirt, fine trash and other matter relieved from the cotton will move downwardly over the convolutions of the partition and finally pass out through the duct 11. At the same time the cotton will be drawn downwardly through the spiral duct 7 and during its travel or movement through said duct it will be thrown or drawn outwardly toward the outer wall of the spiral duct 7 and at the same time turned to bring different portions thereof to the surface for removal of the dirt and other material therefrom. The cotton continues to travel through the spiral duct 7 and is subjected to a cleaning operation until it reaches the lower outlet of the said duct and passes through the opening 15 onto the conveyer 17 or is otherwise liberated.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the cotton washes a considerable area of screen surface and during its-movement over said surface is subjected at the side and bottom portions to suction influence for the purpose of cleaning the same and as the suction force always tends to pull the cotton downwardly it will descend through the duct 7 with considerable velocity and be centrifugally thrown outwardly and held against the screen surface with such force as to render the cleaning operation effective and without any tendency to clogging or choking. To render the outlet 111 readily accessible, itis provided with a suitable door 23, so that the interior of the outlet may be easily inspected or such manipulations made therein as may be found necessary.

What is claimed as new is:

l. A cotton cleaner and separator comprising an inclosure, a wire gauze spiral duct therein, a spiral partition coperating with the duct, suction means operating with the duct and partition, and means for feeding cotton to the duct.

2. A cotton cleaner and separator having a wire gauze spiral duct therein, and feeding and suction means coperating with said duct.

3. A cotton cleaner and separator having a wire gauze spiral cotton cleaning duct therein combined with suction means operating interiorly and exteriorly of the said duct.

4. A cotton cleaner and separator comprising an inclosure with upper inlet and lower outlet means, a wire gauze spiral duct therein communicating with said .inlet and outlet means, and a spiral partition having portions between the convolutions of the duct and communicating with the outlet.

5. A cotton cleaner and separator having a wire gauze spiral cotton conveying duct therein, and means for causing suction influence to be exerted on the duct and cotton herein throughout the full length of said uct.

6. A cotton cleaner and separator having a wire gauze spiral duct for conveying cotton therethrough, and means for causing suction influence to be exerted on the outer side and bottom of the duct and cotton in the latter throughout the full length of said duct.

7. A cotton cleaner and separator comprising an inclosure with upper inlet and lower outlet means, a suction duct connected to the lower outlet means, a wire gauze spiral duct in the inclosure communicating with said inlet and outlet means, a spiral partition having portions between the c011- volutions of the duct and communicating with the outlet means, an inclosed conveyer under the outlet means and having communication with the latter, and a suction intercepter in the outlet means and suction duct adjacent to the point of communication of the outlet means with the conveyer.

8. A cotton cleaner and separator comprising an inclosure with upper inlet and lower outlet means, a suction duct connected to the lower outlet means, a wire gauze spiral duct in the inclosure communicating with said inlet and outlet means, a spiral partition having portions between the convolutions of the duct and communicating with the outlet means, and a guard disposed under the lower terminal of the spiral duct and forming an inner closed wall tangential to the Center of the spiral partition to prevent accumulation of material under the lower extremity of the spiral duct.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHAUNCEY R. BENEFIELD.

Witnesses:

CHARLES A. RowE, CHAs. S. HYER.

Copies of this uatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

